HOWIE Rose had to know why we were calling. That’s probably why he didn’t return the calls. Not that we can blame him. He couldn’t possibly relish the opportunity to talk about how the club whose telecasts he has called for the last six years this summer seemed, for a while, anyway, to not want him around anymore.

According to several sources, the Islanders and their TV rights-holder, MSG, explored the possibility of replacing Rose in the Isles’ TV booth prior to the start of this season. They either solicited or failed to discourage replacement candidates.

We’re told, on excellent account, that the Capitals’ TV broadcaster, Joe Beninati, was given serious consideration, as was the Flyers’ radio play-by-play man, Tim Saunders.

Finally, the Isles and MSG concluded that Rose is their man. For now.

MSG Network owns the Isles’ TV rights and it employs Rose. His contract expires next year, which means that his MSG/FSN-NY Mets’ gig may also be in peril.

Intimates of Rose tell us that he knows what was up and had serious reservations as to whether he’d be back. While sportscasters are generally afflicted with job insecurity, often for no good reason, Rose, 48, apparently had some good ones.

One recurring reason we heard for the Isles’ consideration of a change rings specious: Rose is still considered a “Rangers’ guy in this town,” given his years as the radio voice of the Rangers, not to mention his frequent public testimonies to a youth spent rooting for the Broadway Blues.

However, as an Islander broadcaster, Rose has never demonstrated anything less than enthusiasm for the club. Even during its playoff-less years he couched his candor about bad Islander teams by preaching patience. And he’s a solid, across-the-board hockey man.

Still, with MSG/FSN-NY having lost the Yanks and now the Nets to YES, we can expect the Isles to be given upgraded programming status – an upgrade that, after this season, may not include Rose.

In a business that finds cervical columns bent from looking over one’s own shoulder, I can’t imagine that this hockey season will be a particularly comfortable one for Rose, not if he’s convinced that there are people with clout who are less than enthused that he’s there.